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Trencher Corps
The men and women of the Trencher corps comprise the hardcore of the enlisted soldiers of the Cygnaran Army. Informally called “gravediggers,” they are the first onto the field and often the last to leave. Trenchers form the bulk of any Cygnaran vanguard. Spread across trench lines and hastily dug emplacements, they seize ground and hold it, enduring withering enemy fire and buying time for the rest of the army to advance.Iron Kingdoms RPG Kings, Nations and Gods The trenchers began as an experiment by Cygnaran generals, who wanted to see if harsh training might transform ordinary soldiers into hardened and more versatile fighters. The program’s success has made trenchers the cornerstone of the Cygnaran Army. It is also the only service branch typically open to Cygnaran trollkin and ogrun who show patriotic inclinations. History The foundation for the trenchers were laid by Vinter Raelthorne II during his reform of the Cygnaran Army when the king authrized the impressment of able-bodied prisoners into a corps of frontline soldiers that would be sent into battle first to reduce casualties suffered by the regular army in high-risk engagements. The first ragtag groups of soldiers were conscripts and volunteers of hardened prisoners and disgraced troops who otherwise faced execution or life imprisonment and were issued cheap and ill-fitting gear to avoid straining the treasury. They were offered the chance to earn a full pardon through meritorious service, which required them to risk almost certain death in battle While the experiment succeeded beyond expectations it would take time before these prisoner companies became true trenchers. The former prisoners initially selected for this program underwent intensive and brutal training that built discipline through constant drills, grueling physical conditioning, and harsh punishments for any transgressions. This training regimen was designed mainly to instill obedience in individuals notorious for insubordination but it also resulted in tough and effective soldiers ready to face anything on the battlefield in contrast to Cygnar’s regular rifle corps, who had passed through relatively easy training focused on instilling ordinary military discipline and the proper use of their firearms. While these riflemen were useful in the aggregate, they were far from the skilled infantry Cygnar would eventually be known for.No Quarter Prime #1 The early battles fought by these men and women were along the northern border against Khadorm. While most such battles went unmarked until one battle changed everything. A company of conscript infantry had been sent to hold a remote border village near Fellig in the path of a Khadoran advance to slow down the enemy before being overrun. When Rangers arrived two weeks they later they found the town still held by surviving conscripts although half-starving and depleted of ammo after fending of several enemy attacks including a night raid. Using shovels and picks from locals they had created a network of trenches and berms that repelled attacks and forced Khadorans to withdraw in a desperate charge and thus the trenchers were born. King Vinter III allowed the Trenchers to accept regular volunteer enlistment and to allow for commissioned officers who entered service as trenchers. Vinter IV, Leto, and King Julius each further expanded the corps and they now make up the majority of Cygnar’s infantry. Trenchers have proven themselves during many wars of Cygnar. During the Scharde Invasions of 584– 588 AR trenchers were in involved coastal patrols and grueling attacks on outer islands of Cryx These conflicts revealed the weaknesses of pure concentrated firepower of long gunners as these soldiers were outflanked, closed upon and eliminated by swift Cryxian forces. Trencher tactics proved decisive in seizing and securing landing zones and pushing deeper into enemy territory, working alongside other Cygnaran Army and Navy forces. Trenchers had similarly vital roles in the Llaelese War and its aftermath, The Caspia-Sul war and the multiple conflicts within the Thornwood in 607–610 AR. For decades joining the trenchers required passing an arduous physical screening that allowed only exceptionally tall, strong, and fit soldiers into the service but in recent years, however the emphasis has shifted to conditioning a broader array of soldiers to a similar level of fitness. Aspiring trenchers are expected to be physically stalwart but not be at the peak of physical prowess as long as they can achieve adequate performance with training. A broader range of acceptable heights has allowed the corps to be more inclusive, also allowing more women to successfully volunteer and serve. Further their kit has been improved and standardized over the years while remaining cost-effective and rugged. Modern trenchers have been divided into broad but distinct roles, each with its own focus. Regardless of their role in the organization, each trencher is expected to be a well-rounded and versatile soldier capable of independent thinking and adapting to multiple tasks. Military Doctrine Training Trenchers undergo one of the most rigorous and extensive training programs for line infantry in all of the Iron Kingdoms. Recruits go through an accelerated twelve-week program in one of many training centers with at least one situated in each duchy usually attached to major fortifications such as Point Bourne ,Stonebridge, Highgate, Northguard and Eastwall and friendly rivalries both between and within such camps are encouraged to create competition. However the Trencher Corps values combat experience and more officers are often promoted from within after climbing through the non-commissioned ranks than other branches. Those doing so are still expected to attend a short yet intensive course usually in leadership, tactics, and military planning at either the Point Bourne or the Caspian branch of the Strategic Academy, however some promoted to officer after serving as sergeants may avoid attending the Strategic Academy as long as they demonstrate proven competence through their service in the field. Thus most newly commissioned Trencher offices are less educated than other branches but have far more field experience. Basic training is a combination of strength building, fundamental tactics, and marksmanship as well as combat engineering to teach every recruit the essentials of trench construction. Recruits undergo intense drills to improve physical and mental endurance to transform even the scrawniest of recruits into toughened killing machines, drill instructors push recruits with a nonstop routine of long marches, runs, and arduous physical labor such as moving earth and stones. Field training consists of rifle drills while under duress and melee combat instruction with the trench knife and bayonet. Recruits who show special aptitude in marksmanship may receive additional training as snipers, artillerists, or chain gunners, while those with exceptional physical prowess and high marks in field skills and melee combat may join the elite commandos. Trenchers with technical aptitude and above average mental acumen might be slated for combat engineer roles. These specializations each involve more in-depth and focused training. Trollkin and ogrun recruits are likely to be selected for special weapon support roles, which also entail specialized training. While Gobbers are unable to join the trenchers due to their small size many patriotic gobbers join the trenchers as cooks, mechaniks, or supply clerks, and particularly in munitions roles due to their invaluable aptitude for hand-packing ammunition and other aspects of ordnance assembly. Gobbers serve in mobile munitions factory caravans that can encamp relatively close to the front lines and help resupply active companies with both ammunition and grenades. Recruits train in full battle kit with no exceptions for illness or minor injuries and are sleep-deprived, drilled in inclement weather and forced to train for prolonged periods without rest or provisions. While training-related deaths were not uncommon in the early days of the trenchers as penal conscripts, such losses are rare in the modern era due to the vigilant training sergeants but rumors persist to terrify new recruits. Recruits are broken into discrete squads for the duration of training to encourage teamwork and filter out poor candidates as training squad is evaluated by the performance of its lowest performing member. Recruits must work together to help these weak links improve and in case of failure, such recruits are forced to drop out due to peer pressure. Drop outs are encouraged to transfer to other military branches, including vital support roles and are not disdained or discouraged but instead the trencher Corps respects the patriotic impulse that drove them to enlist in the first place. Tactics and Strategies The fundamental tactical doctrine of the trenchers is to capture and hold key ground. However as a result of the ever changing battlefield and the Trencher Corps’ evolving role in the army, new tactics are always being tested. At the beginning of a conflict, a trencher company takes control of a strategically valuable position and digs in, fortifying the area and expanding its trench line to meet up with those of other companies. Together they hold the line against the enemy long enough for the full force of the Cygnaran military to come to bear. Once they establish a bulkhead, they advance the line forward, capturing ground to entrench and extend existing lines. As the trenchers advance a small number of trenchers including trenchers manning chain guns or cannons and snipers stay behind to support the main assault and protect them from enemy flanking attempts. On the front specialists such as commandos and ogrun trench busters clear enemy emplacements of enemy soldiers. Commandos are also sent to strike at key strategic assets and assets that cannot be seized and claimed are destroyed. As trenchers must often dig while under enemy fire, squads are broken into two-man teams who, as the trenchers put it, “dig their own grave.” Alternating as required, one soldier provides cover fire while the other digs a shallow foxhole, which is then enlarged into a deeper trench. Once the required depth is reached, each team saps out to connect to the one closest to it, establishing a line. Then it is connected to the two closest squads and digging continues until the trenchers establish a fortified network. This is aided by warjacks like the Grenadier that can break the earth and easily remove large rocks. Combat engineers reinforce trenches and construct the trench parapet and the parados from sandbags or dirt, they may also add barbed wire ahead of the front line and build firing positions for support weapons. Teams of trenchers sap lines back to firendly territory and establish a second and third line. The first, or front line, is a series of fire bays connected by zigzagged or stepped lanes. Smaller channels called saps extend forward from the front line into the no man’s land between Cygnaran trenches and the enemy position, serving as locations for small squads of commandos to muster for counter-offensives, as listening posts, and as protection for snipers and ’jack stokers. Running behind the first trench is a long support trench which acts as second line of defense in case of the front line being overrun by the enemy and contains supply and ammunition storage, first aid stations, and the mess area. Blockhouses are often built on the support trench to provide girded fire bays and supporting fire in the event the enemy overruns the front line. The rearmost line of trenches is the reserve line which is the mustering point for reinforcements and where soldiers rotated from the front lines stay. It is also where the command structure of a deployment, heavier artillery, ’jack repair depots, and other critical assets are placed. Communications are maintained by swift runners who travel through communication saps which are often built in a deliberately convoluted fashion to stop enemies from swiftly moving from the front lines to the rear. Farther back, however, they can be rather elaborate underground rooms. Sometimes, such as in the defenses around major fortresses these dugouts are even reinforced with concrete and can be several layers deep. Weapons and Equipment Trenchers rely on simple yet durable equipment during battle. Trenchers wear their heaviest armor on the upper portions of their bodies, as those areas are most vulnerable to enemy fire while entrenched. This protection includes a heavy helmet, layered shoulder armor, breastplate, and arm-guards. The trencher’s lower body is more lightly armored, with metal knee plates and a skirt of chain built into a heavily padded greatcoat. The thick hood worn beneath the helmet can be buckled to shield the soldier’s face. Each trencher carries a fifty-pound pack intended to make the soldier as self-sufficient as possible in the field. The standard loadout includes tinned rations and hardtack, water, a mess kit, bedroll, oilcloth, ammunition, and an entrenching shovel. Many trenchers sharpen the edge of their shovel to make it deadlier. Personal Weapons * Bannfield Model 603 Service Rifle - The main battle rifle of the Trencher Infantry, firing a .30 caliber rifle cartridge, this rifle balances range and stopping power.. Named for one of the most respected gunsmiths at the Cygnaran Armory. The Bannfield line of firearms is primarily manufactured by the Armory but several outside contractors produce smaller numbers.. As the main battle rifle of the trencher corps must be utilitarian, the Bannfield is a proven reliable piece of military hardware. While lacking range and ammunition capacity of the repeating rifle, it is far more durable and reliable. * Bannfield Model 603SV Sniper Variant '- The sniper variant of the standard rifle and is issued to trencher sharpshooters after they pass advanced marksmanship testing. Has a longer barrel, and replaces the standard open sights with a long eye relief scope. * '''Bannfield Model 603C '- A limited production variant of the standard-issue rifle manufactured in Ceryl under the supervision of Master Alchemist Lyesse Pylus. Has a improved breech lock allowing faster and smoother reloads. * 'Bannfield Model 607LG Repeating Rifle '- Created for trencher long gunners, the 607LG features a rotating ammunition wheel integrated with the rugged Bannfield aesthetic. While it is not as reliable as the 603, trenchers insist the 607LG is faster to reload and more durable than the long rifles employed by their non-trencher counterparts. * 'Thatcher Trench Carbine '- Shorter than the Bannfield rifles, the Thatcher has a compact ammo wheel with a five-round capacity and uses the same cartridge as the Bannfield rifle .Its the standard-issue weapon of the trencher commando corps and are also issued to trenchers in some support roles, such as combat engineers and supply teams. * 'Smoke Grenades '- The smoke grenades are simple devices that contain a pair of normally inert alchemical substances which, when mixed, produce a heavy volume of obscuring haze to cover advances on the enemy. Trencher infantry are issued three smoke grenades as part of their standard equipment. Sergeants and officers often carry colored smoke grenades as well, which can be used to signal other units and mark priority targets. * '''Rifle Grenades- Rifle grenades have a longer effective range than thrown grenades. Developed by demolition engineers, rifle grenades use fine-grain blasting powder for their explosive payload. A receiver locked to the end of a Bannfield rifle barrel holds the grenade, which is propelled with a standard rifle cartridge. When fired, the cartridge impacts a primer on the base of the grenade to ignite its propellant, launching the projectile. Most grenades are anti-personnel fragmentation devices, though the Cygnaran Armory has also experimented with other payloads such as incendiary and smoke. * Scatterguns '''- Issued in limited numbers primarily to trencher commando units, scatterguns are effective in clearing the enemy’s advance positions. These weapons fire a payload of grapeshot. Trencher scatterguns are open choke, causing a wide dispersal of shot but limiting the effective range to approximately twenty yards. Several different models of scattergun are in circulation, but the most widely used is the '''Bannfield Model 515 Smoothbore made by the Cygnaran Armory. Support Weapons * Cinder Bomber * Field Cannon * Raevhan Express References Category:Cygnar Category:Warmachine Category:Organisations